Strongly nil *-clean rings

A $*$-ring $R$ is called {\em strongly nil $*$-clean} if every element of $R$ is the sum of a projection and a nilpotent element that commute with each other. In this paper we investigate some properties of strongly nil $*$-rings and prove that $R$ is a strongly nil $*$-clean ring if and only if every idempotent in $R$ is a projection, $R$ is periodic, and $R/J(R)$ is Boolean. We also prove that a $*$-ring $R$ is commutative, strongly nil $*$-clean and every primary ideal is maximal if and only if every element of $R$ is a projection

A computed tomography-based morphometric study of the styloid process

Background: The styloid process (SP) refers to a cylindrical piece projecting from the inferior of the temporal bone, situated anterior to the stylomastoid foramen. It is an anatomic formation close to major vessels and nerves, and its excessive elongation results in pathologies leading to anatomical disorders, such as Eagle’s syndrome. Several studies have been conducted on SP in relation to its close proximity to vessels and nerves, but there is no study that reveals its distance to important anatomical formations, such as the internal auditory meatus (IAM), carotid canal (CC), cochlea, tegmen tympani (TT) and tragus. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of Eagle’s syndrome based on morphometric measurements of SP. Materials and methods: The patient files archived in the Radiology Department of Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital were retrospectively examined. The study was carried out on the data of patients for whom specialist radiologists found no pathology findings on the computed tomography images. A total of 77 individuals (36 females and 41 males) aged 22 to 54 years were included in the study. The length of SP and its distances to IAM, cochlea, CC, TT and tragus were obtained using computed tomography radiological measurements. Results: When the individual measurements performed on computed tomography images were evaluated in men and women, no significant difference was found concerning the distance between SP and various anatomic structures in close proximity to SP (p > 0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference between the genders in length of the right SP (p = 0.003) and left SP (p = 0.006). Conclusions: This anthropometric study revealed the standard morphometric measurements of SP. We believe that the data obtained will help clinicians to identify and diagnose pathologies more easily

Superfluid Density in a Highly Underdoped YBCO Superconductor

The superfluid density rho_s(T) = 1/lambda^2(T) has been measured at 2.64 GHz in highly underdoped YBCO, at 37 dopings with T_c between 3 K and 17 K. Within limits set by the transition width Delta T_c ~ 0.4 K, rho_s(T) shows no evidence of critical fluctuations as T goes to T_c, with a mean-field-like transition and no indication of vortex unbinding. Instead, we propose that rho_s displays the behaviour expected for a quantum phase transition in the (3 + 1)-dimensional XY universality class, with rho_s0 ~ (p - p_c), T_c ~ (p - p_c)^1/2 and rho_s(T) ~ (T_c - T)^1 as T goes to T_c.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; final version of pape

Between a rock and a hard place: corporate elites in the context of religion and secularism in Turkey

Drawing on discourse analyses of 36 in-depth interviews with elite business people from Turkey, the study identifies the networking patterns of new and established business elites in the context of economic liberalization and socioreligious transformation of the country. Through a comparative analysis of the so-called secular and religious elite networks, we demonstrate the role of institutional actors such as the government, and identity networks, based on religion and place of birth in shaping the form and content of social networks among business elites in Turkey. In order to achieve this, we operationalize Bourdieu's notion of theory of practice and Granovetter's theory of social networks, illustrating the utility of combining these approaches in explicating the form and content of social networks in their situated contexts, in which power and divergent interests are negotiated.Galatasaray University Research Fund [grant number 12.102.005]

Higgsless electroweak symmetry breaking at the LHC

While the Higgs model is the best studied scenario of electroweak symmetry breaking, a number strongly-coupled models exist, predicting new signatures. Recent studies of WW and WZ final states at the ATLAS and CMS experiments are summarized and expected sensitivities are presented within the frameworks of the technicolor straw-man model and the electroweak chiral Lagrangian.Comment: Proceedings for the EPS HEP 2007 conference, Manchester, U.K., on behalf of the ATLAS and CMS Collaboration

Unbounded p-Convergence in Lattice-Normed Vector Lattices

A net xα in a lattice-normed vector lattice (X, p, E) is unbounded p-convergent to x ∈ X if p(| xα− x| ∧ u) → o 0 for every u ∈ X+. This convergence has been investigated recently for (X, p, E) = (X, |·|, X) under the name of uo-convergence, for (X, p, E) = (X, ‖·‖, ℝ) under the name of un-convergence, and also for (X, p, ℝX ′) , where p(x)[f]:= |f|(|x|), under the name uaw-convergence. In this paper we study general properties of the unbounded p-convergence.Article Pre-prin

A Human Gut Commensal Ferments Cranberry Carbohydrates to Produce Formate

Commensal bifidobacteria colonize the human gastrointestinal tract and catabolize glycans that are impervious to host digestion. Accordingly, Bifidobacterium longum typically secretes acetate and lactate as fermentative end products. This study tested the hypothesis that B. longum utilizes cranberry-derived xyloglucans in a strain-dependent manner. Interestingly, the B. longum strain that efficiently utilizes cranberry xyloglucans secretes 2.0 to 2.5 mol of acetate-lactate. The 1.5 acetate:lactate ratio theoretical yield obtained in hexose fermentations shifts during xyloglucan metabolism. Accordingly, this metabolic shift is characterized by increased acetate and formate production at the expense of lactate. α-L-Arabinofuranosidase, an arabinan endo-1,5-α-L-arabinosidase, and a β-xylosidase with a carbohydrate substrate-binding protein and carbohydrate ABC transporter membrane proteins are upregulated (\u3e2-fold change), which suggests carbon flux through this catabolic pathway. Finally, syntrophic interactions occurred with strains that utilize carbohydrate products derived from initial degradation from heterologous bacteria

\u3cem\u3eSphk2\u3csup\u3e−/−\u3c/sup\u3e\u3c/em\u3e Mice are Protected from Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Sphingosine kinases phosphorylate sphingosine to sphingosine 1‑phosphate (S1P), which functions as a signaling molecule. We have previously shown that sphingosine kinase 2 (Sphk2) is important for insulin secretion. To obtain a better understanding of the role of Sphk2 in glucose and lipid metabolism, we have characterized 20- and 52-week old Sphk2−/− mice using glucose and insulin tolerance tests and by analyzing metabolic gene expression in adipose tissue. A detailed metabolic characterization of these mice revealed that aging Sphk2−/− mice are protected from metabolic decline and obesity compared to WT mice. Specifically, we found that 52-week old male Sphk2−/− mice had decreased weight and fat mass, and increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared to control mice. Indirect calorimetry studies demonstrated an increased energy expenditure and food intake in 52-week old male Sphk2−/− versus control mice. Furthermore, expression of adiponectin gene in adipose tissue was increased and the plasma levels of adiponectin elevated in aged Sphk2−/− mice compared to WT. Analysis of lipid metabolic gene expression in adipose tissue showed increased expression of the Atgl gene, which was associated with increased Atgl protein levels. Atgl encodes for the adipocyte triglyceride lipase, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of lipolysis. In summary, these data suggest that mice lacking the Sphk2 gene are protected from obesity and insulin resistance during aging. The beneficial metabolic effects observed in aged Sphk2−/− mice may be in part due to enhanced lipolysis by Atgl and increased levels of adiponectin, which has lipid- and glucose-lowering effects